Rebirth
by klutzysunshine
Summary: Maureen finds out she's pregnant just weeks after they're sucked into the black hole. It's the worst possible time and not exactly happy news for numerous reasons.


**Warning:** Mentions of childbirth.

* * *

Maureen first started feeling weird and under the weather ten weeks after the black hole sucked them into the hell they currently knew as their life but she blamed it on the stress they were currently experiencing. Life had gotten significantly worse and didn't seem to be looking up any time soon for the Robinsons and their companions. "Are you sure you're up to this?" a worried John asked his wife as they prepared to go on another reconnaissance mission. They desperately needed to figure out their next step.

Maureen swallowed as another wave of nausea rose up out of the blue. Now was not the time for this to happen. "Of course I'm up for this, John."

He eyed her skeptically. "Are you sure?" he questioned again.

She didn't have time to answer as her stomach roiled and she dashed off towards the bathroom. He followed her and rubbed her back, wincing as their dinner made a reappearance. "And that settles it - you're staying home. Don, Penny, Will, and I will go by ourselves," he declared.

She desperately wanted to argue about her inclusion on this mission but didn't have enough energy and still felt a little sick. All Maureen wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep. "Fine," she finally conceded.

"I want to see Penny," he ordered. When she started protested, he held up his hand. "I just want to make sure this isn't an alien flu or some shit like that, Maureen. Please, just get checked out," John urged.

She giggled. "Alien flu, John?"

He leveled a glare at her despite the terror currently fueling him. "This isn't a joke, Maureen."

"Sorry. I know it isn't, John, but we can't be serious all the time. And I'm sure it's just the flu - the regular human version. But I'll have Judy check me out if it'll make you feel better." Feeling weary, Maureen groaned as she struggled to stand up but John helped her to her feet. He kissed her forehead and led her to the lab so Penny could check her over. "You're really staying here for this?" Maureen asked.

"I am - I don't want you slipping away when I'm out of sight," he told her, his arms crossed, watching as Penny drew blood.

Maureen hissed and glared at her daughter. "Can't you be a little more gentle?" she asked rhetorically.

"I'm trying to be," Judy told her, trying not to freak her out herself. John's anxiety was freaking her out, which in turn was making Maureen panic just a bit.

Now Maureen was starting to worry about some incurable alien disease and she wondered what would happen if that was the case. What would John and the kids do without her? "Your mind went straight to the worst case scenario didn't it?" John asked knowingly.

"No," she lied, knowing she had been caught. Damn him for knowing her so well.

"We'll figure this out pretty quickly," Judy assured her parents.

"Go ahead. You have a lot of work ahead of you," Maureen encouraged her husband.

"Are you sure?" He didn't want to leave his wife and daughter alone in case it was bad news like they feared.

"Of course I'm sure. Go, the mission is more important," she told him.

He didn't want to go but John knew she was right and hated it. He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Maureen."

She tsked. "Careful. You might get my alien flu."

John laughed and she followed suit, her whole body shaking. "Only you, Maureen."

"I love you too. Don't die out there. Keep the team safe," she murmured.

"I will," he promised, kissing both her and Judy before going to join the others. They left about ten minutes later.

Maureen tapped her foot on the floor as she waited for the verdict. She watched as the machine beeped, and Judy went to check the result. Her eyes widened and she pressed some buttons again. "What are you doing?" Maureen asked.

"Just double checking something," Judy answered, trying to avoid the question.

Now Maureen was starting to panic again because of her daughter's lack of answer. Shit, there was something wrong, wasn't there? What were they going to do? "Just tell me what it is."

Judy turned and noticed her mother was visibly panicking. "Mom, calm down. It's nothing bad - I hope, anyway. I'll tell you in a few minutes, I promise."

That didn't help Maureen calm down at all but she was willing to wait this out. When the machine beeped again just seconds later and Judy checked it again, she started laughing. "What is it?"

Judy sighed, a grin on her face. She started laughing despite the gravity of the situation. "Sorry! Just having a hard time trying to process this. You have elevated hCG in your system, which is something I certainly wasn't expecting - nor you, I'm guessing. You're pregnant, Mom. You and Dad are having a baby."

"The test has to be wrong," Maureen said as her brain short circuited. Pregnant? Now? And how was this even possible in the first place?

"It's not. I checked it twice, right? I mean, I could check it a third time but that'd be overkill. We could do an ultrasound," she suggested.

"Okay." Slightly in a daze, Maureen let Judy walk her over to the over table and watched as her daughter got out the ultrasound machine. Sure enough, Judy zoomed in on the baby - currently a fetus - immediately.

"Wow," a gobsmacked Judy murmured, at a loss for words herself. "That's my little brother or sister in there. Holy shit."

"Yeah. How far along am I?"

"About eight weeks," she answered. She moved the wand around and turned up the volume. A heartbeat echoed around the room.

A speechless Maureen teared up at the sound, thanking Judy for her medical care, and tore off towards her bedroom after coming up with several excuses she knew her daughter didn't believe. She sat down on the bed, curled her knees up to her chest, and started sobbing. She could probably blame the meltdown on her hormones (fuck, she could blame this on mood swings due to pregnancy) but it was more than thought. All she could feel was fear and hopelessness. How could they do this with a baby on board? There were so many variables on how this could go wrong. And how hadn't she figured this out sooner? She had known earlier during her three previous pregnancies but her period was irregular now as she was almost ready to start menopause (damn her body - and John's sperm - for managing this miracle pregnancy). She started rocking back and forth as sobs wracked her body. Maureen tried to stop crying when the door opened and Judy stepped in but nothing could make the tears stop now. "I'm fine," she lied.

A skeptical Judy only sat down and hugged her mother. "I know this is scary but it'll be okay, Mom. We'll make sure of it," she vowed. When she realized Maureen didn't believe her (couldn't, not now), Judy shut up and held her mother until she cried herself to sleep.

Maureen had a long way to go before she accepted and came to term with her pregnancy. She kept herself hydrated but couldn't stop crying in between bouts of morning sickness (something that only upset her more now that she had a name for this "illness").

* * *

When John and the others returned three days later, they came bearing bad news - they hadn't learned much of anything. "This isn't the end. We'll figure it out soon," he promised. Then he looked around and noticed his wife was missing. He stopped dead in his tracks as panic started whirring in his brain. "Where's Maureen?"

"Dad, calm down. She's still not feeling well - it's not an alien virus, by the way - and is in your room. You should go talk to her," Judy told him, which didn't help him to stop panicking at him.

John ran towards their room and was shocked to see Maureen staring up at the ceiling, dried tear tracks on her face. "Hey, I'm home. Surprised you weren't in the greeting party but Judy said you still aren't feeling well. What's wrong, baby?" he asked as he slipped into bed next to her. He definitely wasn't prepared for the next words out of her mouth.

"I'm pregnant," she informed him in a dull tone.

Blood rushed in John's ears. "Run that by me again."

"I'm knocked up. With child. Your sperm and my egg met yet again," she answered, turning over to face him.

"We're having a baby," John clarified.

She nodded. "Yeah. Judy confirmed with an ultrasound that I'm about eight weeks along."

He let out a whoop and hugged her. "Holy shit! I can't believe you and me created another little person."

"John, we're in the middle of fucking nowhere in space, cut off from anyone who could help," Maureen pointed out. And now that she had gotten started, she couldn't stop and everything poured out of her. "I'm in my late forties so this is a risky pregnancy to start with. Our oldest is eighteen years old. We have two teenagers and a pre-teen and now we're starting all over again! And of course, there were the complications with Will's birth. The doctor told us it would be near impossible to conceive again after our difficulties but clearly he was wrong. And so much could go wrong, John. I'm scared," she admitted, her voice hitching as sobs started tearing through her body once more.

He was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that Maureen was pregnant again but knew her health was his priority right now since she was clearly upset and thinking the worst. "Hey, we've made it this far, haven't we? We have a doctor on board - Penny's going to make sure both of you are healthy and safe. She hasn't left you alone, right? And yeah, we're starting all over again but think of it as a new beginning. Space baby!" he shouted. She giggled, which he counted as a win. Your pregnancy with Will was hard from the start, remember? You called me complaining about various issues right from the start. But your pregnancies with Judy and Penny were fine. And yes, I know every pregnancy is different, but please don't worry about what could go wrong. And yes, the doctor made a mistake because we beat the odds. All of us on board will make sure that you and this baby make it." His hand made its way over to her flat stomach and he stared at her in amazement and awe. "You feeling better?"

"A little bit. I'm still scared," she admitted.

"That's okay - I am too. But we're in this together." He kissed her and then moved down a little to lay a kiss on her stomach. "Hey in there, kiddo. It's your daddy. I love your mommy a lot, and I want you to know that I already love you so much and can't wait to meet you. Stay safe for the next seven months until we can take care of you out here."

"I love you." Although still panicking about the worst case scenario, Maureen was already starting to finally warm up to the idea of this pregnancy now that John was back and she had his support.

* * *

While Judy had to be in the know about the pregnancy, Maureen and John hid the truth from the others until she reached her fourteenth week of pregnancy. Penny fist pumped immediately upon learning the news. "I knew it!" she shouted.

Her parents both looked at her. "How did you know?" Maureen asked her.

"Uh, it's pretty obvious. Plus, you haven't been out doing anything major for weeks and Dad freaks if you open the door. I just wasn't entirely sure until you said something." Penny hugged her parents.

"You're not going to be the youngest anymore, kid. You okay with that?" John asked Will.

Will nodded. "I get to be a big brother. That's awesome!" he told them. He hoped they were having a boy but knew it wasn't up to him so resigned himself to the fact that he might be getting another sister.

"Congratulations. This is fantastic," Don told them but walked away grumbling about another mouth to feed.

Maureen yawned and then fell into John's arms. "I'm so tired of naps," she complained. This kid was killing her with the constant fatigue.

"I know you are but take advantage of them when you can. We aren't going to be getting any sleep soon."

"Ugh, don't remind me." She was not looking forward to sleepless nights again. At least this time she wasn't alone.

"Go to sleep. We'll wake you if anything happens." John watched her walk towards their bedroom and sighed. He couldn't wait to meet this kid and complete their family.

* * *

As Maureen's pregnancy progressed, she found she hated being grounded, especially after John was injured trying to take down the aliens trying to attack to their ship. "I am seven months pregnant! You can't scare me like that!" she told him after he woke up (suffering from a concussion, of course).

"I'm sorry. Not like I planned this but I promise to be more careful in the future."

She quirked her lips into a smile. "I don't buy that for a second but nice try." The baby kicked yet again, and she rubbed a hand across her stomach to soothe them. "And you've upset the kid," Maureen chided.

"Can't have that." He waved her over and she waddled back over to him, wishing more than anything that she had maternity clothes. "Hey, I thought we talked about this already. I'm trying to keep you safe."

The baby kicked again in response, and Maureen winced. "Hey, that was a bit rough," she scolded.

John was still so thankful he had managed to fix his relationship with his wife and kids, something he had hoped for but still hadn't expected when he resigned and decided to join them on this hell trip (at least it wasn't all bad), and couldn't wait until the newest member of the family joined them. He laughed. "This kid's already driving you up the wall, huh?"

"You already know the answer to that." Maureen sighed and pulled up a chair so she could sit down next to him.

"Well, this kid is half mine. Calling it again that we're having another girl." Judy knew, of course, but he and Maureen wanted it to be a surprise.

"Stop calling it. And besides, I called it first."

"You did not call it first!" he protested.

"I believe I did."

"Excuse me, Will called it first!" chimed in Penny as she entered the room, ending the fight once and for all (that day, anyway).

"Eh, she's probably right," John reluctantly admitted, something that drove Maureen to laughter.

* * *

Sixteen hours into labor, a frustrated Maureen's water finally broke, which sped things up for her. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked Judy, finally noticing the look on her eldest's face.

"I know I'm a doctor and everything but I didn't sign up for this shit! I didn't expect to deliver my mother's baby. A baby that's coming out of your vagina any minute!"

Maureen would have laughed if a contraction hadn't stopped her in her tracks. She groaned and leaned in closer to John, seeking out his hand. He grabbed it so she didn't have to keep looking. "I'm here," he soothed, brushing back the hair on her forehead.

"I'm not exactly happy about this either, Judy. Fuck!" She arched up and clawed at John in an attempt to ground herself. Why had she willingly done this a fourth time? What was the matter with her?

"I got you. I'm not going anywhere, baby. We're almost at the finish line - we're going to meet our little girl soon." John couldn't believe they were finally here - it had been a long, dangerous seven months. At least they were closer to a solution to getting out of their current situation.

She whimpered. "I don't want to do this anymore," she whined.

"It's too late to back out now, Mom. Sorry." Judy wished she could help with the pain but they were saving the pain meds for emergencies.

The urge to push suddenly overwhelmed her, and fortunately for Maureen (and John, whose hand was sure to bruise, although he wouldn't dare complain about it), she delivered the baby in about fifteen minutes. "What is it? Is the baby okay?" Maureen asked.

"Yeah, Mom, she's good." Judy's eyes welled with tears as she handed the baby to her mother after John cut the cord.

"We were right - it was another little girl. Welcome to this fucked up world, Meghan Andromeda Robinson. You are so loved." She looked at her husband and wasn't shocked to see tears in his eyes. "You want to hold her?"

"Of course I do." With love in his eyes, he took the baby in his arms and started rocking her back and forth. "Hi, Meg. You're just as beautiful as your brother and sisters."

"Don't lie to the girl. She's a newborn," Maureen teased.

"Don't listen to your mommy." John reluctantly handed her back over to Maureen and then pulled Judy in for a hug. "Thank you so much for everything you've done the past seven months, sweetheart - actually, make that the entire trip."

"You're welcome, Dad. I'm just happy Meghan's here and everything worked out." Judy was definitely excited about another little sister, although she knew Will would be a little pissed he didn't get the brother he so desperately wanted. She then started cleaning up, giving her parents and youngest sister some privacy.

John dropped into the chair next to the bed and watched the two of them. "You're amazing, you know that, right?"

She looked up at him. "I do know that but thanks for the reminder." Maureen yawned. "Can you take her? I'm exhausted."

John stood up and scooped his daughter of his wife's arms. "You want to go meet Penny and Will? They'll be excited you're finally here."

"Love you," Maureen murmured as her eyes started to flutter shut.

"Love you, too." He waited until he was sure she was asleep and then had Judy get Penny and Will.

"I'm outnumbered but that's okay," Will said after he held Meghan for a few minutes.

"She's so tiny. Bigger than Will was, though." Penny vibrated with excitement as she waited to hold the newborn.

When Judy finally joined them after cleaning up, John nearly fell apart at the sight of his four children together for the first time.

He and Maureen had been through some hard times (their current situation was one of the hardest but they'd find their way out) but working through their problems had afforded them the best possible outcome. They were happier than they had been in a long time, and their kids were happy(ish) and healthy. Things were looking up for once and the Robinsons intended to take advantage of it. They wouldn't be caught off guard again, even though danger lurked around the corner ready to attack. For now, they - along with Don, intended to celebrate the newest arrival - Meghan signified hope and rebirth for the family.


End file.
